


The Convocation

by SoMuchDepends



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Modern Era, Slowest Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 14:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15584139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoMuchDepends/pseuds/SoMuchDepends
Summary: Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe have about 8 miles of baggage between them after Diana and Fred's wedding. Let's see if they can unpack at least some of it, shall we? Modern. Sequel to The Wedding.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a day that brought no one any good. The charcoal clouds dampened the air and the mood, and the late-spring evening seemed unseasonably desolate. Anne blew into Patty's Place, her gray eyes huge and her auburn ringlets disheveled.

"Phil, I did something I don't think anyone's going to like," Anne started, her forehead creased like a linen shirt at the bottom of a hamper.

"Did you accidentally feed the pigeons at the park Roy's leftover squab confit again?" Phil mused disinterestedly, her eyes fixed on her laptop.

"Phil..." Anne's voice hollowed. "Phil, it was worse than that..."

"Did you make Roy try pad thai again at that place you like? You know he's allergic to peanuts, honey," Phil joked. "I know we agreed that maybe it was his all in his brain because, goodness knows, that boy can down a Snickers somehow, but I really think—"

"No! No more Roy, Phil!" Anne shouted, her hands twisting in front of her. "Just... Listen... Just for a minute."

Anne had Phil's attention now. As Phil recalled Roy's subtle hints for the past few months and took in Anne's smeared eyeliner, it all fell into place.

"Oh, no, Anne," Phil whispered. "Tell me you didn't..."

Sitting just a few feet from Anne's position by the door, Phil had never felt so distant from Anne. This Anne with dead eyes, slumped posture, and raspy breathing.

"I did something no one's going to like, Phil," Anne repeated and slid down the door frame.

"Oh, hon, tell me what happened," Phil said as she practically sprung over the couch to the crumpled heap of Anne. "He asked you, didn't he?"

"Mmm."

"And you said..." Phil started questioningly, letting the thought drift indefinitely.

"No," Anne answered. "I said no."

"Oh, Anne..."

"I took his heart and his dreams and ripped them up. Threw them right in his face!" Anne exploded, the thoughts coming quick and jumbled. "These past few years, I've just been playing, and I've wasted his time and his emotions, and I am just the lowest scum of all humans!"

"Now, Anne, you are not the lowest scum of all humans," Phil comforted.

"I am though! I just play with these men. I say what they want to hear. I follow along with them, make them think everything's fine! And then I crush them, Phil! I crush them!" Anne hyperventilated as Phil soothingly rubbed her back. "Everyone will be so disappointed! His family, our friends! Everyone expected it. I expected it, and then I turned him down; I gave him every hope, every last hope, Phil! I encouraged him, and I turned him down. And why? Because I..."

Anne's harried train of thought derailed into silence.

"Anne? Why did you?" Phil asked, her own brow furrowed now.

Anne sat up and locked eyes with Phil; Phil saw her friend's spirit spark through, through the smeared make-up, the frazzled curls, and the deadened face.

"Because I think I'm…" Anne began, her words slowly forming. "I'm…. I just wasn't in love. With him. I truly thought I was, Phil, but I was wrong. Don't you understand?"

Phil's eyes softened. She sensed Anne's sentence had been intentionally redirected, but she decided to leave that impression alone for now. As much as she wanted to know the whole truth, she needed to comfort Anne more.

"Oh, sweetie, you know you don't have to tell me about convincing yourself you're in love." Phil smiled. "Don't you remember Alex? No? Let's go get some donuts,and I'll tell you all about it. And honey bun, I know at least a few people who won't dislike what you've done…."


	2. Chapter 2

Roy proposed to Anne only 48 hours before Commencement, but it took less than 12 hours for the news of her rejection to spread throughout the entire campus. With the aid of good cellphone receptions and forward buttons, everyone on Redmond Campus—even those knee-deep in lecture notes and exam reviews— was soon privy to the "private" news.

Knowing Roy's friends could just as well have done the bean-spilling, Anne didn't accuse any of her own klatch of indiscretion, but she did desperately wish to (figuratively) murder the one that did start the gossip fire. Roy and Anne had been quite the power couple at Redmond, and all their classmates expected the upcoming ring-on-left-hand-fourth-finger picture to appear on Anne's Facebook profile any day.

But, no.

"I heard she dumped him because she's pregnant! With her old friend's baby. Apparently they reconnected when she went back home for her best friend's wedding."

"She did look moody when she came back after that weekend! How long ago was that? Like a month? Well, I guess she wouldn't be showing yet..."

"No! I heard from Anne's own roommate Phil—well, Phil's chemistry partner's roommate—that Anne is definitely not pregnant! Straight from the source!"

Whispers and murmurs of this sort became white noise to Anne as they followed her everywhere she went for the next two days.

She went to pick up her commencement dress from the cleaners?

"I heard she had to get that dress cleaned because she was wearing it the night Roy proposed, and she got mascara all over it!"

She bought a bagel from the campus snack shop?

"Well, she is eating for two now..."

She went to the bookstore for buy-back days?

"She's gonna need that money. No ring, no Roy, and none of his trust fund."

All of her marbles were long gone when the morning of Graduation Day finally dawned. Dressing in her newly-laundered white dress, Anne prepared for the day she had longed for so much. Years of studying, quizzes, exams, grades, pressure, and presentations were now to be capped off with just a few hours of extreme formality.

As Anne descended the moaning, warped stairs of Patty's Place, she noticed a bouquet of flowers and small box on the hallway's catch-all table. The note attached to the bundle of flowers simply read, "For Anne," and the box had no outward indication of a sender either. However, the sender did know her well; the flowers, lilies-of-the-valley, were her favorite, and as she opened the small box to reveal a fragile, silver chain and pink enamel heart charm, Anne no longer needed to wonder.

"Oh, Gil..."

If Anne had banished Roy out of her immediate thoughts, then she had packed all inklings of Gilbert in an industrial grade vault and sent it to the pole of Antarctica. Since the explosion at Di's wedding, Anne had neither seen nor heard from Gilbert, and she had been incredibly vigilant in refusing to entertain thoughts about her old friend as well. But now, those repressed thoughts flooded her mind and heart as the lilies' scent flooded her olfactory system. And one thought forced itself to the front of her consciousness:

"Oh, gosh! Does Gilbert know?"

* * *

Miles away, Gilbert tied his tie with a peculiar grin that had only recently taken residence upon his face. Only within the last 46 hours or so.


	3. Chapter 3

Looking back, Anne couldn't recall much about her graduation ceremony. Echoes of names and degrees, dim flashes and flaring stage lights, the pressure of a handshake and the weight of a diploma case. Even just a few hours later, Anne could only remember the event's highlights, but one thing stuck out in her memory quite well. Descending the platform with diploma in hand, Anne faced the mass of her seated classmates. In the red sea of caps and tassels, two sets of eyes caught hers: one dark, one hazel. The dark flashed with resentment and pain and quickly looked away. The hazel, however, latched onto hers with alacrity; as she stared into the deep greenish-blue, Anne felt those eyes searching for something in her expression. But the moment ended, and she took her seat.

* * *

Later, as the newly-degreed women returned to Patty's Place, Anne shut herself in her room for a few moments. Phil had insisted they go party-hopping after the ceremony, and the girls had returned to their house to change and consolidate vehicles. But Anne needed a few moments to recollect herself; the last 48 hours had jumbled her life, and even within the past two hours, she had encountered another upset.

"Gil…. His eyes seemed lighter. Less weighed down by all those cares. I haven't seen him like that since, since before all this awfulness happened. He looked at me like he used to, back when we were better. Like I was only thing that made him so happy. But no, he was probably just happy on his own. I mean, it is his graduation day, too! For goodness' sake, Anne, not everything hinges on you," Anne whispered to herself, as she smoothed on pale lipstick and slipped on a soft pink cotton dress. "What if I see him tonight? At one of the parties?"

The question sunk into Anne's mind, and nervousness tingled throughout her body. A hasty thud on the door shocked the already-on-edge Anne out of her reverie.

"Anne! Hurry up! Your skin is only getting saggier the longer you wait, honey bun!" Phil yelled. "We're leaving in 25 seconds. Get your cute, little freckled butt downstairs!"

Phil's feet trampled down the stairs, and Anne slid her own into standard tan flats. Taking one last look in her mottled, antique mirror, she coached herself with soothing words.

"If you see Gil tonight, it will be fine. If you don't see him tonight, it will be fine. Everything will be fine. Everything is not about you," Anne breathed, her eyes closed. "Gil has a life now. You have a life now. It may not be exactly how you planned, but that is fine. Let's go to some parties now. Parties are great for forgetting and moving on. And everything is fine."

Anne opened her eyes and her door then hopped down the stairs.

"Let the parties begin!" Phil cheered as the group marched out the front door.

Conversing with Stella in the back of Phil's SUV, Anne felt her intuition flare: things were coming to a head tonight, whether she liked it or not, whether in the way she planned or not.

And everything may not be fine.


	4. Chapter 4

A Few Days Before Graduation

Gilbert knew an hour after the fact.

Busily studying his lecture notes for Kinesiology 200, Gilbert almost missed the muffled buzz of his cellphone. Looking at the flashing screen, Gilbert saw two message alerts, and they were both from Phil Gordon.

Another buzz. three messages.

Something incredibly important must have happened. Phil had hardly ever texted him before his ill-fated proposal to Anne, and since then she had only texted him once. When Anne had begun exclusively dating Roy, Phil had sent him a message. Just so he didn't hear it from some gossiping girl in the Caf or see it on his Facebook feed. Just so he could hear it from someone he knew.

Another buzz. Four messages.

He didn't want to know. He felt the pit of stomach twist; Phil would only text him for one reason.

Gilbert Blythe was not an idiot. He had known the quadratic formula since he was eight. He memorized the atomic numbers of the all the elements when he was in junior high. He knew the origin and insertion of every muscle in the human body. He was graduating _summa cum laude_ and was accepted to medical school. And he knew Anne Shirley was going to marry Roy.

And he had known since Diana's wedding that Roy was going to propose soon, and that would be the end of all his lingering hopes.

Each day brought Phil's inevitable text ever closer. Once the engagement was official, Gilbert knew Phil would text him and break the most unkind news as kindly as possible.

Today must be the day.

Gilbert closed his eyes, leaned back against his green plaid sheets, and clutched his phone.

Then he opened his eyes and clicked on the text bubble icon.

From Phil Gordon at 8:45: _Gil, I have some very important news. Roy proposed and Anne said no._

From Phil Gordon at 8:46: _Said she wasnt in love with him, Gil, but I think it was more than that. Im taking her for donuts. Will try to get more out of her._

From Phil Gordon at 10:23: _She said she was not in love with Roy. Hinted there was someone else, Gil. I wouldnt tell you this for no reason._

From Phil Gordon at 10:24: _I think you should have hope. I cant guarantee anything, but I think you have a shot._

Suddenly, Gilbert Blythe knew only two things: lilies-of-the-valley were Anne's favorite flower and he finally had use for that small, red box in the back of his desk drawer.

* * *

Graduation Day

As they passed through the historical area of the college town, Phil turned down the music in the car, and Anne knew they were approaching their destination. Moody MacPherson's grandparents lived in one of these beautiful houses, and they had agreed to host Moody's grad party. Moody had invited everyone, and with such a beautiful and accessible location, everyone was sure to drop in for at least a few minutes. Unfortunately, Moody's open invitation and the party's buzz greatly increased the probability that Gil would be there, and Anne knew it. Nervously fiddling with the ends of her cream cardigan, she felt something drop on the seat. Silver and pink shone in the cool light of the spring sunset; Anne had dropped Gil's gift into her pocket earlier and forgotten until just now.

The heart charm was pink.

And her dress was pink.

"My subconscious is really on fire today," Anne thought to herself. "Might as well."

Anne slipped on the necklace as Phil pulled up to a beautiful, windowed house and smiled:

"Girls, the hopping has officially begun! Welcome to the fabulous graduation party of Moody MacPherson!"

Anne slid out of the SUV and desperately hoped she wouldn't see Gil just yet.

Oh, wishful thinking.

Phil, Anne, Stella, and Pris filed into the warmly lit house. The party was in full swing, and the four friends were forcibly separated by the oblivious milling of the crowd. Anne ended up in the back of the living room next to a gorgeous snack table. Glass jars filled with creamy dips. Clear tumblers sparkling with icy lemonade. Shiny silver trays layered with cookies and sandwiches.

"Not gonna waste this opportunity," Anne smiled to herself.

Grabbing one handful of baby carrots and the other full of potato crisps, Anne walked around the food-laden table with a pretzel rod between her teeth. Sensing someone rounding the table's corner, Anne looked up.

Right into Gilbert Blythe's very familiar hazel eyes.

Gilbert dropped his eyes to the pretzel in her mouth; his eyebrow quirked. Next to her balanced handfuls of munchies; he took a carrot. Then to the little pink heart; his eyes flashed and returned to hers.

"Enjoying yourself?" Gilbert teased and popped the stolen carrot into his mouth.

"Mmhm," Anne smiled.

"How were your exams?" Gilbert quipped, crunching on his stolen snack.

"Mmm-mmm," Anne enthusiastically shook her head back and forth.

"Let me help you out," Gilbert smiled, leaning down over Anne shining head.

He took a potato crisp.

"Gimm," Anne muffled, tilting her head up.

False recognition dawned in his eyes, and he over-dramatically tossed his hands up.

"Oh, you mean! Of course, the pretzel. Silly me."

Gilbert grabbed the pretzel as Anne simultaneously took a bite.

"Thank you, Gil," Anne said quietly, chewing on her pretzel bite.

The two smiled at each other, and Anne took Gil in. His hair was slightly more unkempt than at Diana's wedding, and he had a few faint lines worried about his soft eyes. Over all, Anne noticed a new, calm maturity about her childhood friend, but she also sensed a spark of something else, something hopeful.

Gilbert was taking her in as well. Her auburn curls twisted back into a pretty mass on the back of her head, and her freckled skin appeared softly translucent against the silver and pink of her necklace and dress. For a woman who had just declined her boyfriend of two year's proposal, she seemed very collected and happy. Which added another log to his growing fire of hopefulness.

"Excuse me."

Another party guest maneuvered his way to the snack table, splitting the two apart. Anne tried to get around him and back to Gil, but she felt a hand clutch her shoulder.

"Anne Shirley! I'm so glad you're here!" Moody exclaimed. "I've just talked to Stella and Pris, and they said you were here too. Can you believe it Anne? A minute ago, we were running around Avonlea and now—"

Anne unlocked her gaze with Gil, who understandingly nodded his head, and turned to Moody for pleasantries.

Knowing Anne would be taken for a few minutes, Gil exited through a glass-panelled door to the house's backyard. He knew Anne would notice his exit. And he hoped she would follow.

"It's better out here anyway for a serious conversation. No interruptions. No crisps," Gil thought to himself. "And we need a serious conversation."

Gil took in the sweet, cool air; Moody's grandparents had a lovely backyard, complete with an appropriately old-fashioned garden filled with beautiful, antique flowers.

"Anne would love it out here. I wonder…" Gilbert thought to himself as he strained to see into the living room's windows; highlighted in warm lamplight, Anne laughed and tilted her head back at something Moody said.

"Just a few more minutes," Gil murmured. "I can wait."

And he took a bite of the pretzel rod still in his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Anne Shirley did not know what to think.

And poor Moody Spurgeon had to bear the brunt of her confusion (something Anne would later apologize for).

"Uh… Well, thanks again, Anne. Glad you came. Hope you feel better soon, I think," Moody started to detach himself from the corner where he and Anne were talking.

After Anne mindlessly mumbled her repeated congratulations, Moody ambled away to find another guest to thank, and Anne almost didn't notice his departure. Her mind was whirring, but not with observations of her surroundings. Anne could only think of Gilbert Blythe.

It had hardly seemed real, their encounter at the refreshment table. Just like nothing had passed between them. No proposals. No estrangement. No pain. No Roy. No Christine. No explosions at weddings.

And Anne was a little indignant.

"That boy will be the death of me," Anne huffed in her head. "He has the gall to drag me into the woods at Di's wedding and to berate me for 'Acting like nothing had happened between us,' but now, look at him! Stealing a pretzel stick out of my mouth and looking down at me with… that look."

Anne stole a glance out the window. Gil was still there.

"Maybe I shouldn't go talk to him. Maybe I should just let this let this go. I can survive things being uncomfortable between us. But… Avonlea's not very big. Can I go the rest of my life without bumping into him? Maybe? Probably not… But maybe…"

Anne looked about for a distraction. She saw Phil standing next to Jonas, her fiancé, by the fireplace across the living room, and Phil's glance connected with Anne's. Now, Phil Gordon was a perceptive woman; she knew that Anne and Gil's gigantic, 10-year-old dam of emotional baggage was about to disintegrate, and she had known this the second Anne had returned Diana's wedding. Phil knew that Gil was still head over heals for Anne, and she suspected Anne's own feelings were similar, though buried under a decade of denials and imaginations.

And after Anne turned Roy down, Phil knew two things: that Gil had a very probable chance with Anne and that she could help the poor souls out. Which is why she texted him the night Anne returned from the horrendous proposal. And why she texted him the approximate time when she, Anne, Pris, and Stella would arrive at Moody's party. Phil knew both Gil and Anne needed a bit of prodding or else neither of them would ever get their acts together. They would just live the rest of their lives out alone or unhappy. And Phil was not about to allow that to happen.

So now as she saw Anne's pleading glance, she knew her plan was in motion.

"Just a minute, Jo, I need to go tell Anne something," Phil smiled, leaving her fiancé and weaving through the sea of party-goers.

Anne's tension unwound as she saw Phil's approach, and as soon as Phil was within earshot, Anne started to burst.

"Phil! I need your help. So Gil's here and he's acting like nothings happened which is strange because something's definitely happened between us and he gets mad when I act like nothing happened and I think he's outside waiting for me and I'm sure he's gonna wanna talk, like TALK talk, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that and I just broke up with Roy and am I crazy? But he did send me those flowers and I am wearing his necklace, but he took my pretzel—"

"Anne Shirley! Calm your honey buns down right this instant. From what I can tell, you're in a bit of a relationship pickle, but you know what, you are an adult," Phil said, evenly and clearly. "You aren't twelve and 50% of a take-notice on a piece of construction paper. Go talk to Gilbert Blythe like an adult. You are a full-fledged B.A. Are you gonna let a boy spook you when a 25-page research paper doesn't make you break a sweat? Go out there right now."

"But…."

"No, I'm not taking your emotional excuses today, Anne. Get yourself out there and give that boy a break. I think you'll be glad you did," Phil grinned, knowing Anne would give excuses till kingdom come. "Now I'm going to go stare dreamily into my fiancé's eyes for no reason, and you're going to go outside. Are we clear?"

And with that, Phil Gordon grabbed Anne's shoulders, steered her to the glass back door, opened it, shoved Anne outside, and winked, saying,

"Get your pretzel, girl."

Phil slammed the door shut.

Seeing Gil approach the dumbfounded redhead, Phil knew her work was done and headed back to the fireplace where Jonas stood.

"Well, Jo, I hope you brought your waders 'cause that dam is about to unleash quite the flood," Phil joked.

Not knowing exactly what Phil meant but smiling anyway, Jonas wrapped his arm around the fiery woman and smiled.

"You know, I think I left them in the trunk…"

* * *

Gil watched as the door behind Anne shut, and he took a step forward. Anne Shirley looked like she had just been spit out of a tornado, and he knew he need to be as cautious as possible. One misstep, and she would run away. And he didn't know if he could handle that again.

"Anne…"

Anne's gray eyes caught his, and she leaned forward.

"Hey, Gil," she whispered meekly. "Beautiful night, huh? Lovely way to end a lovely day, am I right?"

Her old friend took another step forward.

"Yes, you usually are right, Anne Shirley," Gilbert joked, a spark in his eye. "And I have always tried my hardest not to disagree with you too much on your right-ness. I know how you like to fight fire with mini-chalkboards-over-the-head."

Gilbert thought bringing up a nostalgic memory might lessen the tension.

He misstepped.

"Gilbert Blythe! How dare you act like nothing has happened between us? Like you can just bring up an old memory, and I'm supposed to act like everything's just peachy between us, huh? Well, you thought wrong, Gilbert Blythe!" Anne shouted, her words forming quickly and harshly as she moved closer to Gil. "How dare you! Especially after you dragged me into Lover's Lane at Di's wedding so you could express your righteous indignation at my behavior. Because I was acting like nothing had happened!"

"Anne—"

Gil moved closer towards the shaking woman. They were within two feet of each other now.

"No, Gilbert Blythe, I am talking! You can't just cut in and make me shut up! Let me get a word in edgewise! You are the most arrogant, most hypocritical, most mind-numbingly selfish person I have ever met!"

Throwing caution to the proverbial wind, that selfish, arrogant hypocrite stepped forward one more time, grabbed the furious woman's shoulders, and kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

A ruffling spring breeze and the hum of muted laughter scored the precarious moment. Gil's hands clutched Anne's pink waist, and her slender arms strangled his neck in her confusion. The two soundlessly allowed the weight of what transpired sink into reality, and neither wanted to shatter the quiet, expectant peace. The kiss had broken some wall within both participants, but each held back in fear of the other's reaction. A war waged within and between both minds.

The silent battle continued for a few minutes until Gil could take it no longer. Reluctantly, he pulled away from the still-shocked girl and cleared his throat; holding Anne fogged his logical center and Gil knew he would need all the clarity of mind he could muster.

"Anne Shirley, I need to say something to you, and I need you to listen for just few minutes while I get it all out, okay?" Gil started. "But then you can say whatever you want, and I'll listen, even if it's not what I want to hear."

Anne shook her head in affirmation, her eyebrows drawing worriedly together.

"Okay," Gil took a deep breath. Years of silent rehearsals and even a botched proposal had not prepared him for this moment, and he hardly knew where to begin. So he started with the simplest truth.

"I love you, Anne Shirley. I have since the day I met you, and I have never stopped. And I know you know that. Maybe you thought I moved on after my first... proposal, but I didn't. Couldn't, really. I know it sounds cliche, but you are it for me. You or no one else, end of story. And I can see it in your eyes," Gil mirthlessly chuckled. "I know you so well, Anne; you're thinking I'm being dramatic and just exaggerating, but I'm not. I've tried to get over you. You have no idea how many times. But I can't, and I never will. And when I heard that you were dating Roy, I knew you would marry him, and I would have to let you go. And that was almost the death of me, but I needed you to be happy, Anne. More than anything. But then, the best thing happened, something I only dared to hope would happen. I finally had a chance, just one minuscule chance, but it mean, means, everything to me. So here I am, Anne, taking that chance. I love you so much, and I know you just got out of a relationship and might need time, but I'll wait. I'll wait forever if I could have even one shot to be with you."

"Gil, I—" Anne started, but Gil cut in.

"Sorry, Anne, I promise I'll let you get a word in edgewise," Gil said, a dead smile twisting his face. "But I need to say a few more things, this might be my last chance to say them. I shouldn't have kissed you just now. I know that. It was so pig-headed and selfish of me, but heck, the way you were going I knew that there was no time for caution. And I love you, Anne, and I needed to know what it was like to kiss the girl you've always loved at least once. So I'm sorry, but I need you to know that I'll never regret that, at least."

Gilbert's eyes flashed with conflicting emotions, love, dread, embarrassment, pain, but his eyes refused to meet Anne's. Twilight fading, the moon bloomed into clear beams of cool white light which mingled with the flashing, warm lamplight from the house. The garden began to illuminate gracefully, and the pair stood with inches and an ocean between them.

"Gilbert Blythe," Anne's quietly strong voice sliced through the air with an unspoken demand, her gray eyes fixed on his downturned face.

Gil knew what her tone indicated. Fixing his eyes on hers, Gil saw something wonderful reflected there. A decade worth of love and longing and hope shone from Anne's beautiful eyes, and Gil knew he was a goner.


	7. Chapter 7

The charged atmosphere of four minutes earlier had dissolved into a new peace and happiness. But not all was so neatly resolved with a kiss, mutual declarations, and an important question; further aid was required.

"But what about Christine?" Anne asked, her heart constricting slightly.

"What about Roy?" Gil countered.

"Were you two actually ever dating?"

"Why did you turn him down?"

"Gil, you're not answering my questions…"

"Well, Miss Shirley, you're not answering mine either."

"But I asked first, though!"

"Hm, I don't recall it happening like that. I believe I asked the first question and from what I remember you never actually answered me."

"What did you ask again?" Anne's eyebrow tilted mischievously, and Gil's smile tightened, not as dangerously as at Di's wedding but nearly so.

"Anne…"

"And I did answer," Anne continued, skating fearlessly on thin ice.

"As much as I love your eyes and all their many expressions and inflections, you mustn't let them do all the talking, my dear," Gil explained as gently and pleadingly as he could despite his frustration.

"Humph."

"Now, don't be quite so petulant. I asked you a very, very important question, and as of yet, I still have not obtained a verbal answer, thanks to those pretty grey eyes of yours. Furthermore, having received no definitive answer, I believe I am in possession of all rights to disregard your inquires."

"That hardly seems fair," Anne said lowly.

"Life isn't fair, Miss Shirley, and I can tell you many tales of its injustices and heartbreaks," Gil began, a sadness creeping into the playful atmosphere.

"Gil, I didn't mean to bring that—" Anne started, bringing her hands up into a defensive position.

Gil caught them as he cut in reassuringly, while a May breeze ruffled a wind chime from within the garden.

"No use in denying it, eh? We've both done our share of dragging hearts through the mud, particularly each others, and I'd rather not pretend otherwise. Luckily, it's a past phase now, or will be very soon if you would just answer—"

"Should we date, do you think?" Anne bursted in with her startling question.

"What?!"

"Well, maybe we should date for a year or so…. I mean, we've never actually been on a legitimate date. As a couple, you know," Anne breathed out, rushing to clarify her statements and calm the worry forming on Gil's face.

"I'd welcome a setting of a date."

"Gil, I'm being serious," Anne sighed.

"Anne, I want to date you for the rest of my life. Isn't that enough?" Gil said exasperatedly.

"It is! And I want the same! But what if we jump into this too quickly? A decade down the line, you might wish you hadn't been so hasty. We might disintegrate."

"If you think one extra year could alter the state of our future relationship, you are, for once in your life, mistaken. I have loved you for ten years, and though you've only recently come to realize it, I think you have, too. So I'd ask you to put aside some of your sensible doubts, and give me an answer. Please, Anne?" Gil asked.

"I don't want people thinking you're just my rebound, Gil. That isn't fair to you. And what about Christine? What will people think?"

"I'll surrender to some of your questions: Christine and I were never dating. Her high school sweetheart back home would never allow that, as he so kindly texted me a few months back. And Christine knew I had my eye on someone else. Which brings me to my next point. Almost everyone knows we belong together. All of Avonlea does. Ninety percent of Redmond does. And for those that don't? Well, pardon my language, Anne, but screw them."

"That's so easy to say…"

"It's easy in practice, Anne. I promise. So, please put me out of my misery. Give me an answer?"

The spring wind and the indirect, warm light from inside the house lit the suspended moment. Anne felt a strange, strong energy push her forward.

"Yes."

Gil's eyes widened almost disbelievingly at her abrupt, enthusiastic answer

"Care to elaborate?"

"How does September sound?" Anne smiled, as the surrounding quaint garden became the backdrop for the couple's first and best memory.

The End


End file.
